Ysgol Bro Gwaun

I can honestly say that most of my trauma comes from this place, and I haven’t stepped foot here since 2020. I did experience severe bullying (verbal harassment/ name calling, frequent violence), and general social exclusion, which obviously as a teenager felt like the end of the world. Luckily with hindsight, and a lot of therapy, I can now reflect that it wasn’t. But during such a formative developmental stage, it’s difficult to comprehend that you’ll be able to move on/dismantle some of the prejudice and internalised judgment put on you. While I do try to not let it follow me now, truthfully the lack of support from the schools teachers & system made year 7-11 some of the toughest times of my life.

Looking back, I do question if my difficult experience was more of cultural thing. But reading some of these reviews made me realise that the school almost exists in an echo chamber, which only enables mainly straight, white, able-bodied people to truly flourish. So I think that if your identity intersects outside of these normative pillars, your ‘difference’ is going to be somewhat brought to the forefront of your school life. So you’re frequently othered, either overtly or covertly, by other students and teachers.

Which perhaps explains some of the experiences I had. This can be really difficult to process/ deal with, at a young age - some people would say it’s a part of growing up. Yet for myself, and a lot of my peers, fishguard school was an extremely bruising experience. I acknowledge that perhaps poc, LGBTQ, and neurodivergent students may represent a smaller statistic in the schools cohort, but it is integral that the teachers/school system are equipped to care/ understand/ support the needs of marginalised students within such a predominantly white, straight, gender-normative rural area.

I was really torn on whether to write this review - but I truly hope that someone within the school reads this, and implements some positive changes based on some of the students experiences :)

Ysgol Bro Gwaun is very mixed to me. I loved my times in school but hated it at the same time. Some teachers were lovely and really helpful, shout-out Mrs Bailey. Other teachers don’t care, I was once punched in the face in-front of a camera, the boy was popular so he got no repercussions. Your time in Bro Gwaun is heavily based on the teachers you have, some teachers are really poor at what they are qualified to do and others are incredible. The school is very strict on uniforms and mobile phones so be warned. The school environment is very toxic with a lot of bullying and teachers really don’t care, they care more about the reputation of the school. The staff can be very horrible at times, even the caretaker. The caretaker once shoved a clocked to a boys throat because the boy brought the clock to the office. Ysgol Bro Gwaun is a good school but is certainly let down by certain members of staff.

This school doesn't care about bullying and if your apart of LGBTQIA+ then I don't recommend it because you get bullied a lot and the teachers don't do anything especially if it's the popular kids bullying you the teachers alway pick there side and scream at the rong kids and they wonder why lots of kids moved and act the way they do and they don't care much about your mental health and happiness they never notice if your unhappy and if you like to be helped a little differently than others then no you have to do it the teachers way and I struggle with it and can't concentrate on my mock exams properly if they do see this mention things I said in assembly because lots of people will agree with me

During my time at this school I was allowed by the teachers who were fully informed of my situation to be bullied from year 7 to year 11. My mental wellbeing and health spiralled when attending this school and I believe many others who attended may relate. The lessons are good and informative, with the teachers being very strict on their image and representation. However the sports are sexist, with the boys doing rugby and the girls doing hockey and using the indoor exercise equipment. Any bullying was never dealt with by the teachers as favouritism is heavy in this school. If you are a person of colour or a member of the LGBTQ+ community then I would not recommend this school as they do nothing to resolve the bullying that will take place. Any parent complaints of bullying go unacknowledged. The schools image is immaculate, with them pushing their new technology and the new building into every promotion. They also provide a safe area called harbwr for those living with difficulties and do have many ways of making education easier for those struggling. To me the inside life of ysgol bro gwaun is cold and lonely, with each day of the year slowly passing by, though many popular students may disagree as they were the favourites. I give this school an average only for the education not the environment.